The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connectors and connector assemblies that are mounted to circuit boards in communication systems.
Backplane (or midplane) communication systems, such as network systems, servers, data centers, and the like, include a backplane (or midplane) circuit board having electrical connectors mounted thereto. The backplane communication system is configured to engage multiple daughter card assemblies that each include a circuit board (referred to as a daughter card) and one or more electrical connectors mounted to the daughter card. The electrical connectors of the daughter card assemblies are configured to mate with the electrical connectors of the backplane communication system. The different daughter card assemblies may be communicatively coupled to one another through the backplane circuit board.
The electrical connectors may include dense arrays of signal contacts and ground contacts. The signal and ground contacts have respective contact tails arranged along a mounting side of the electrical connector. The contact tails are configured to be inserted into vias, such as plated thru-holes (PTHs), of the circuit board. The contact tails can be relatively thin and, therefore, susceptible to damage. For instance, if the contact tails and the vias are misaligned when the electrical connector is mounted to the circuit board, the contact tails may press against an exterior surface of the circuit board. In such instances, moving the electrical connector along the circuit board to correctly position the contact tails may bend or otherwise damage the contact tails.
To address this challenge, at least some known electrical connector assemblies include contact organizers that are positioned along the mounting side of the electrical connector. The contact organizer is typically a thin body of dielectric material, such as plastic, having passages defined by inner surfaces of the contact organizer. The contact tails are inserted through respective passages and engage the inner surfaces of the contact organizer. Frictional forces between the contact tails and the inner surfaces may hold the contact organizer at a pre-loaded position away from the mounting side. During the mounting operation, the contact organizer holds the contact tails in a predetermined arrangement and also reinforces the contact tails to reduce the likelihood of damage. Although a contact organizer may be effective in reducing damage and facilitating the mounting operation, the dielectric material of the contact organizer may negatively affect the impedance of the electrical connector and, consequently, the overall performance of the electrical connector.
Accordingly, there is a need for an electrical connector assembly having a contact organizer that protects at least some of the contact tails of the electrical connector while also permitting the electrical connector to obtain a designated electrical performance.